Mortgage in Cook County, Illinois
A mortgage pledges the property as security for a loan. Recorded, it is a lien that comes ahead of later liens and stays on the title until a satisfaction or release is recorded. In Cook County, mortgages are recorded with the Cook County Clerk, Recordings, and a HeritageDeed title search lists them for the property.
How Cook County records it
Cook County no longer has a Recorder of Deeds. Voters approved merging the office into the County Clerk in a binding referendum on November 8, 2016, and the Recorder of Deeds ceased to exist on December 7, 2020. Deeds and mortgages are now recorded and searched through the Cook County Clerk's Recordings division.
What it means for a buyer or bidder
A recorded mortgage with no satisfaction of record is an open lien, even if the loan was paid: it has to be released or paid at a sale.
Does a title search find it in Cook County?
Yes. The Cook County report covers: Deeds, mortgages, releases and liens recorded with the Cook County Clerk.
More about Cook County records
Search a Cook County property's records
AI title search, $49 per report. Usually ready in about a minute. Full refund if we can't deliver.